Blood Transfusion Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Blood Transfusion, including details on blood donation, blood types, leukemia.

Orthogonal search-based rule extraction for modelling the decision to transfuse.

Etchells TA, Harrison MJ

Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.

Data from an audit relating to transfusion decisions during intermediate or major surgery were analysed to determine the strengths of certain factors in the decision making process. The analysis, using orthogonal search-based rule extraction (OSRE) from a trained neural network, demonstrated that the risk of tissue hypoxia (ROTH) assessed using a 100-mm visual analogue scale, the haemoglobin value (Hb) and the presence or absence of on-going haemorrhage (OGH) were able to reproduce the transfusion decisions with a joint specificity of 0.96 and sensitivity of 0.93 and a positive predictive value of 0.9. The rules indicating transfusion were: 1. ROTH > 32 mm and Hb < 94 g x l(-1); 2. ROTH > 13 mm and Hb < 87 g x l(-1); 3. ROTH > 38 mm, Hb < 102 g x l(-1) and OGH; 4. Hb < 78 g x l(-1).

Published 21 March 2006 in Anaesthesia, 61(4): 335-8.
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